Back

Small States & Great Power Relations: How do Caribbean SIDs Secure their Interests?

June 17, 2021
Related topics: 
International Relations

The Policy Center for the New South, in partnership with the Brussels Diplomatic Academy, will host a webinar under the theme “Small States & Great Power Relations: How do Caribbean SIDs Secure their Interests?”, scheduled on Thursday, June 17th, 2021 at 2pm Rabat time/ 3pm Brussels time. These are extraordinary and highly uncertain times. Great power rivalry and competition between the USA and China are at an all-time high; the world is still in the grips of an on-going pandemic. Post COVID-19 recovery will be a long drawn out process. In the midst of tensions between East and West there are some who argue that a bifurcation of global systems will take place as the World Order continues to evolve and global value chains experience some degree of uncoupling as a result of both the effects of the pandemic and existing geopolitical tensions. In an evolving international structure small states need all the friends they can find. They have few opportunities and weapons in the soft power tool kit with which to lobby for and protect their interests. Coalitions and alliances matter. In this era of heightened tensions during which the economic and social effects of the pandemic will be long lasting, small states such as the SIDS of the Caribbean need to tread wearily, not wishing to be caught in tensions between East or West. In such a world, how do they influence global policies and secure their interests? Can they?

Speakers
Len Ishmael
Senior Fellow
Ambassador Dr. Len Ishmael is an affiliate Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University teaching the MSc course New South Dynamics, as well as Geopolitics and Geo-economics in the Joint HEC Paris/Public Policy School Executive Program. She is a Senior Fellow of the Policy Center for the New South, Distinguished Visiting Scholar of the German Marshall Fund of the United States of America and a Senior Fellow of the European Centre for Development Policy Management. Dr. Ishmael is the Global Affairs Advisor and Head of the Expert Groups of the Brussels Diplomatic Academy of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). She is the former Ambassador of the Eastern Caribbean States to the Kingdom of Belgium and European Union, past President of the 79-member African, Caribbean & Paci ...
Eustace Wallace
Counsellor Political & Economic Affairs St Kitts & Nevis High Commission. Ottawa.
...

RELATED CONTENT

  • Download PDF
    Le Japon et le Maghreb
    Authors
    Abdallah Saaf
    July 29, 2019
    Les relations du Japon avec le Maghreb sont alimentées par des éléments de projection très diversifiés, inégaux, vers des pays et des sociétés qui intéressent le Japon par eux-mêmes, mais dont l’importance est renforcée par leurs articulations avec les maillages, africain et moyen oriental. La décennie actuelle ne constitue pas le moment le plus fort de ces relations. La coopération entre le Japon et les pays du Maghreb reste significative, cependant. Les possibilités de développeme ...
  • Boris Johnson : Dream or Disaster?
    Authors
    Helmut Sorge
    July 27, 2019
    Two days ago, Boris Johnson was appointed as the new prime minister of the United Kingdom after Theresa May stood down over her failure to lead Britain out of the European Union. Below is an international press review of events leading to this British political change of scenery by Helmut Sorge, former Foreign editor, and Middle East expert for Germany's leading newsmagazine "Der Spiegel", and columnist at the Policy Center for the New South.  Ellen Barry, international correspond ...
  • Download PDF
    La République centrafricaine : un conflit endémique et de nouveaux acteurs
    Authors
    Khalid Chegraoui
    July 25, 2019
    Depuis son indépendance, en 1960, la République centrafricaine n’a connu presque pas de répit, à cause des différents soulèvements, rebellions, coups d’Etat et interventions étrangères. Cet Etat, conçu par le bon vouloir du système colonial, avec des frontières multiples et des richesses immenses, va concentrer l’ensemble des contradictions et points négatifs du continent africain, à savoir la mauvaise gouvernance, avec toutes ses formes et manifestations à l’extrême, et les conflit ...
  • Knowledge production for the Africa we want
    Authors
    Rumbidzai Chisenga
    July 23, 2019
    The author is an alumna of the Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders Program 2017.  “Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 13.5% of the global population but less than 1% of global research output” – this is according to a 2018 research article co-authored by eight Vice Chancellors of African universities. The state of knowledge production in sub Saharan Africa is sobering to say the least, and even more so in light of the bold ambitions the continent has for the future, ambitions such as ...
  • Turkey: An Election with Major Consequences
    Authors
    Helmut Sorge
    July 17, 2019
    In Turkey, Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Ekrem Imamoglu decisively won the rerun of the mayoral election in Istanbul last weekend. The new elections were called after pressure from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost the original vote in March by a narrow margin. Below is an international press review of events leading to the elections' results, by Helmut Sorge, former Foreign editor, and Middle East expert for Germany' ...
  • Angela Merkel: We are the Dawn of Difficult and Uncertain Times
    Authors
    Helmut Sorge
    July 12, 2019
    "German chancellor Angela Merkel may be forced to cede her power earlier than expected after episodes of violent and controllable shaking in public has led party officials to fear for her health." Announcements we have been reading in the press these past days. Below is an international press review of events leading to these times of uncertainty, by Helmut Sorge, former Foreign editor, and Middle East expert for Germany's leading newsmagazine "Der Spiegel", and columnist at the Pol ...
  • Mercosur-EU trade agreement: Better Late than Never...
    Authors
    Otaviano Canuto
    July 3, 2019
    Twenty years after negotiations began between Mercosur and the European Union (EU), a trade agreement between ministers was reached last Friday in Brussels. Its first phase, from 1999 to 2014, had among the motivations on the European side not to be left behind while the US then pursued a Free Trade Agreement for Latin America (FTAA). Symptomatically, such enthusiasm cooled after FTAA negotiations came to a halt and the United States embarked on bilateral agreements with some countr ...
  • La place de l’Afrique dans le système de règlement des différends de l’OMC: Expérience, défis et perspectives
    Authors
    Jamal Machrouh
    July 2, 2019
    Quelle place l’Afrique occupe-t-elle dans le système de règlement des différends de l’Organisation Mondiale du Commerce ? Les règles et procédures régulant ce système profitent-elles aussi bien aux pays en développement qu’aux pays développés, ou restent-elles l’apanage de ces derniers ? Le continent africain a-t-il les moyens de faire fonctionner un tel système ? La place marginale qu’occupe l’Afrique dans le système est-elle due à des facteurs endogènes ou à des facteurs exogènes  ...
  • Download PDF
    2019 Secretary-General Report on Sahara: What’s New - ‘Neighbouring States as Parties’ in Roundtable -
    Authors
    Matsumoto Shoji
    July 1, 2019
    Few weeks ago, I gained the chance of reading the UN Security Council resolution 2468 of 30 April on MINURSO , and was surprised by the frequently repeated expression of “Morocco, the Frente Polisario, Algeria, and Mauritania”, instead of the previous “all parties and neighbours”. Besides, it was reported that the US representative twice referred to “Morocco, the Frente Polisario, Algeria, and Mauritania” in his short remark in the Security Council meeting1. Shortly after that, I co ...